WHY CAN’T I GET MY CAR FIXED?
By Mitch Schneider
As a professional
technician and independent garage owner, I usually hear that refrain all too
often. Usually, it is uttered by someone I've never seen before and precedes a
Stephen King like narrative documenting years of frustration, even terror,
at the hands of individuals masquerading as automotive service professionals.
Life for such people is a constant and recurring nightmare
of problems never resolved and service expectations never realized.
But the question implies
that the problem of quality automotive services is an availability problem,
when that isn't necessarily the case. There are quality shops and qualified
professionals to staff them, although the number of both is shrinking. The problem
with finding good people and service is not accessibility, its cost. Before we
go any further, you need to understand why automotive service is more expensive
today than in the past.
In every industry you encounter costs related to that
industry’s nature. Some industries are labor intensive, requiring a highly
skilled craftsman a master cabinetmaker, for instance who
carriers his skill in his head and in his hands. The tools of his trade are
simple in nature and inexpensive to acquire, while his education and experience
go on for a lifetime.
Other industries are equipment intensive, requiring
expensive sophisticated machines to accomplish whatever tasks are set before
them. The sophistication of the equipment compensates for people who require
little training and less skill.
Over the past 15 years, the automotive service industry has
become both labor and equipment intensive as a result of high technology:
computerized electronic engine controls, fuel management systems, distributor less
ignition, antilock brake systems, active suspension, automatic traction
control, electronically controlled transmissions and computerized comfort
controls.
As this technology has blossomed, we find ourselves in the
midst of an information crunch as well. The amount of technical service
literature is exploding. So the automotive service industry has become
information intensive too.
These three factors are enough to cause service costs to
increase exponentially. But there are two other critical factors. One is the
serious commitment to environmental responsibility and regulation required by
government. The other is the physically demanding nature of the work itself.
While most industries might have to contend with the expense
involved in one or two of these areas, the automotive service industry is
involved in integrating all five into the day to day operation of a
contemporary business. Yet most of these factors have remained hidden from the
majority of motorists. Consequently, it seems that the only thing that hasn’t
changed in this industry is the motoring public's perception of the service
technician and the repair facility.
This may seem a rather lengthy explanation of why the cost
of quality automotive service work is continually escalating. However, it is a
necessary explanation because there is a correlation between the people who
continually ask why they can't get their vehicles fixed and the people who only
shop price when it comes to automotive service.
You see, you can't compare automotive service jobs as though
they were cans of peaches sitting side by side on a supermarket shelf. You
can’t walk into your neighborhood garage and buy a half pound of
automotive repair. And you can't easily comparison shop because terms in this
industry have been bastardized to the point that they have no real meaning.
Case in point: What exactly is a tune
up? Ask six
different garage owners or technicians and you most likely will get six
different answers. And the worst part is that none of them are wrong. Automotive
work is still an art, a practice; it is not a science. The professional must
exercise his or her own judgment in determining what constitutes the
completeness of any procedure. Good or bad. Right or wrong. There is no
nationally accepted industry standard for what constitutes any repair or operation.
As a consumer, you need to understand not only what you will
be getting for your money, but also whether that service will address the
problem you are trying to solve. No tune up, no matter how complete, can
compensate for mechanical problems such as a burnt valve or weak compression. However,
every day across
People come to us every day and ask (sometimes demand) that
we install a starter or a battery to cure the no start problem they
experienced that morning even though that won't solve their problem. They are
reluctant to pay for a systems check (diagnosis) to ensure that the battery is no
longer capable of starting the vehicle. They somehow think we should know what
is wrong instinctively. They just want us to "put it in, "whatever
the "if' might be. Would that same person feel equally comfortable walking
into a doctor's office and demanding that his kidney be replaced?
The unfortunate reality is that you can no longer ignore the
need for accurate and complete diagnosis in automotive service today. There are
too many variables to consider. And, for the record, there is a difference
between a "free estimate" and a "diagnosis." A free
estimate is nothing more than an educated guess. A diagnosis requires time,
tools, specialized equipment, a facility, and experienced technician, analysis
and evaluation.
Another reason why some motorists are perpetually
dissatisfied with the automotive service they receive is their pursuit of a
magic bullet: The simple and inexpensive answer to a complicated and expensive
problem.
After almost 30 years in the service
bay, I am convinced that the only magic bullet is regularly performed
preventive maintenance. That is the only sure way I know to reduce overall
vehicle service costs and extend the useful life of a vehicle.
Yet some people insist that a car
should be like a refrigerator. It should run for 10, 12, perhaps even 15 years,
without any service at all. The truth is simple. If you pushed your
refrigerator over on its side and slapped four wheels on it, drove it through
subzero cold and desert heat, rolled it over potholes and slammed it into curbs,
left the door open and the inside light on all night, never serviced it or
maintained it, it wouldn't work well or last long either. It would
probably die long before your passenger car or truck would show any signs of
strain.
Despite this reality, it is the people who shun normal
maintenance programs who cry foul the loudest when they finally get stuck.
Another reason people may experience
difficulty in getting their cars or trucks fixed is that they have chosen the
wrong person or place. It's a cinch the best place for automotive service work
will not be the lowest bidder.
There may be some good reasons why a
facility is significantly cheaper than the competition. They may not have made
the same commitment to tooling up for high‑tech diagnosis and repair that
a quality shop has made. Consequently, they may not have the equipment
necessary to efficiently isolate a problem and may be forced to
"shotgun" your repair with a stream of unnecessary parts. Their price
may be lower because they don't compensate their technicians well enough to
attract people with the skills needed to perform quality work today.
Most of the horror stories I have
heard had one thing in common. The motorists involved didn't spend enough time
trying to find the "right place" for service, at least not the right
place for them. In some cases, they didn't give the facility the time or the
opportunity to succeed, either.
Automotive service is rarely a
budgeted expense and, unless it is maintenance related, tit cannot be scheduled
and will never be convenient. The result is time lost, frustration and added
expense if something goes wrong. How do you keep something from going wrong?
Spend as much time picking a facility you are comfortable with as you would
spend trying to fix a problem that results from having chosen the wrong place.
Talk to the owner/manager. Visit the
shop. What kind of equipment is there? What types of certificates are on the
walls? Is the place approved for mechanical repairs by your local automobile
club? Are they members of a professional association? How long have they been
in business at the location? What is their experience with the local Better
Business Bureau? The department of consumer affairs? Are their technicians ASE certified?
These are all indications of how the garage owner sees
himself and his technicians in the industry they have chosen for a profession.
Because of the very real shortage of
trained and qualified technicians, most of the "good" places are busy.
That's why it pays to get to know your service provider before you are in the
midst of a crisis. Most of us would walk on broken glass for our regular
clients because we know how important they are to our survival.
That is also why it pays to schedule
preventative maintenance. It is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to
avoid an unscheduled breakdown. Unless you are a regular customer and
by regular I don't mean someone who shows up every two or three years demanding
immediate attention don't come in on a Friday evening at 4:00 p.m. with
a crisis and expect to be taken seriously.
Why can't you get your car fixed?
There are lots of reasons. Some of
them are real, some imagined. Some of the blame can be placed on the automotive
service industry, and some deserves to be placed squarely at the foot of the
consumer. But remember this: There are millions of motorists who get their cars
and trucks fixed every day all across
They are "regular" customers
someplace. They have a home at garages just like mine, in towns and cities just
like yours. They have made the effort to be more to us than just another broken
car in a never ending stream of broken cars. They have expressed
appreciation for who we are and the role we play in their lives. They have
gotten to know us and have allowed us an opportunity to get to know them.
And for that reason alone, they
probably wouldn't understand the question "Why can't I get my car
fixed?"
They would probably shrug their
shoulders and reply, "I don't know. My mechanic takes great care of our
family. Maybe you've just been going to the wrong place!"